Universal dual infrared and white light bulb

ABSTRACT

A dual-illumination unit that combines one or more visible LEDs and one or more IR LEDs in the same unit. The LEDs are mounted to circuit boards resembling a standard lightbulb shape, supported by a housing, the housing encapsulating electronic components controlling the LEDs and configured to be connected to standard OEM fusebox power. The unit also includes an adapter ring, removably coupled to the housing and configured to secure the unit to an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) headlight assembly of an associated vehicle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 62/507,573, filed May 17, 2017, titled Universal Dual Infraredand White Light Bulb, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein.

BACKGROUND

The following relates generally to the illumination arts, the trackingarts, the surveillance arts, the law enforcement arts, the militaryarts, the night vision arts, and the like. It finds particularapplication in association with the low-light level illumination anddetection arts for surveillance.

Previously known headlamps used in tactical vehicles includeincandescent, sealed beam headlamps that exhibit poor performancecharacteristics when compared to current automotive lighting systems.These headlamps can be interchangeable with other headlamp systems whichmay be needed for covert operations. These accessory headlamps usuallyinclude a first incandescent bulb lamp and a second incandescent bulblamp covered by a filter so as to pass only infrared light. However,these headlamps require an operator to switch from one or the other ofthe bulbs in order to produce visible or infrared illumination asneeded.

Many military or tactical “blackout” operations require vehicleoperation at night and at a moderate high speed without enemy detection.Previously known blackout lights deployed on tactical or militaryvehicles provide a small amount of visible light illumination, usuallydirectly in front of the vehicle bumper. However, the low illuminationsupplied by prior art lights is considered especially ineffective whendriving at higher speeds.

Moreover, military or tactical operations often utilize commandeered orseized vehicles. In this case, such operations also require that thecommandeered or seized vehicle be operated at night, at high speed, andwithout enemy detection. However, these seized vehicles are notordinarily equipped with covert infrared light capability and are alsonot readily adapted to receive known accessory covert headlamps,filters/lenses, and/or blackout lights.

It is generally considered highly advantageous to provide infrared (IR)illumination in a field of view as opposed to relying on infraredproduced by objects in the field of view, as this dramatically increasesthe effectiveness of night vision goggles. However, the previous use ofincandescent lamps and blackout filters/lenses to produce IRillumination is inefficient, since the lamp still produces visiblelight, and only a small portion of the radiation produced by the lamp ispassed as IR. Additionally, it is difficult to block all visible light,and these previous systems require that the filter/lens be mechanicallymoved into place. As a result, the switch between visible and IRillumination is disadvantageously a time consuming process. Furthermore,these prior art systems do not maintain an unmodified OEM appearance,which potentially jeopardizes operations that require covertness. Use ofIR only illumination devices on such non-military vehicles required themagnetic or other adhesion means to secure battery-powered devices onthe front of the vehicle, resulting in a non-OEM appearance.

It would be desirable to provide a new light bulb that supplies bothvisible light and IR illumination at sufficient intensity for nighttimevehicle operation at high speeds, with the ability to be universallyinstalled on many different vehicle makes and models such that anoriginal OEM appearance is maintained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

According to one embodiment, there is provided a dual-illumination unit,comprising at least one visible light LED and at least one infrared (IR)LED. The unit further includes a housing to which the at least onevisible light LED and the at least one infrared LED are affixed. Theunit also includes an adapter ring, removably coupled to the housing andconfigured to secure the unit to an original equipment manufacturer(OEM) headlight assembly of an associated vehicle.

In accordance with another embodiment, there is provided adual-illumination unit, that comprises an illumination componentincluding at least one visible light LED and at least one infrared (IR)LED. The dual-illumination unit further comprises a housing to which theillumination component is affixed, the housing storing at least oneelectronic component operable to control operations of the at least onevisible light LED and the at least one IR LED.

In yet another embodiment, there is provided a dual-illumination unitthat comprises a housing, which stores at least one electronic componentoperable to control operations of the dual-illumination unit. Thedual-illumination unit further includes an LED tower extending outwardfrom the housing, the LED tower having at least one circuit boardaffixed thereto, wherein the at least one circuit board includes atleast one visible light LED and at least one infrared LED.

In still another embodiment, there is provided a dual-illumination unitthat comprises at least one circuit board including at least one visiblelight LED and at least one infrared (IR) LED. The unit further includesan LED tower to which the at least one circuit board is affixed, and ahousing coupled to the LED tower, the housing storing at least oneelectronic component operable to control operations of the at least onevisible light LED and the at least one IR LED. In addition, the unitincludes an adapter ring, removably coupled to the housing andconfigured to secure the unit to an original equipment manufacturer(OEM) headlight assembly of an associated vehicle.

According to one aspect of the varying embodiments, the electroniccomponents are operable to receive control signals from an associatedvehicle, the control signal corresponding to a low-beam and a high-beamsignals. Furthermore, the electronic components actuate the at least onevisible light LED responsive to a low-beam signal, and actuate the atleast one IR LED responsive to a high-beam signal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject disclosure may take form in various components andarrangements of component, and in various steps and arrangement ofsteps. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating the preferredembodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the subjectdisclosure.

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional representation of a dual-illumination unitin accordance with one embodiment of the subject application.

FIG. 2 is an alternate view of the three-dimensional representation ofthe dual-illumination unit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A illustrates a top view of one embodiment of a dual-illuminationunit in accordance with the subject application.

FIG. 3B illustrates a side view of the embodiment of thedual-illumination unit of FIG. 3A in accordance with the subjectapplication.

FIG. 3C illustrates a bottom view of the embodiment of thedual-illumination unit of FIG. 3A in accordance with the subjectapplication.

FIG. 3D illustrates a front view of the embodiment of thedual-illumination unit of FIG. 3A in accordance with the subjectapplication.

FIG. 3E illustrates a three-dimensional view of the embodiment of thedual-illumination unit of FIG. 3A in accordance with the subjectapplication.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of control circuitry of adual-illumination unit in accordance with one embodiment of the subjectapplication.

FIG. 5 is a representative illustration of the control circuitry of thedual-illumination unit of FIG. 4 in accordance with one embodiment ofthe subject application.

FIG. 6 is a photograph of a dual-illumination unit in accordance withone embodiment of the subject application.

FIG. 7A is a photograph of an associated vehicle employing thedual-illumination unit in accordance with one embodiment of the subjectapplication.

FIG. 7B is a photograph of the associated vehicle of FIG. 7A in whichthe dual illumination unit is activated.

FIG. 8 is a photograph of the dual-illumination unit of FIG. 6 inaccordance with one embodiment of the subject application.

FIG. 9 is a photograph of the dual-illumination unit of FIG. 6 inaccordance with one embodiment of the subject application.

FIG. 10 is a photographic illustration of an empty headlight assemblyinto which the dual-illumination unit is to be inserted in accordancewith one embodiment of the subject application.

FIG. 11 is a photographic illustration of the bottom of adual-illumination unit mounted in the headlight assembly of FIG. 10 on avehicle according to one embodiment of the subject application.

FIG. 12 is a photograph of a front view of the headlight assembly ofFIG. 10 utilizing the dual-illumination unit in accordance with oneembodiment of the subject application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more embodiments will now be described with reference to theattached drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer tolike elements throughout. In accordance with one aspect, adual-illumination unit of the subject application provides a universalIR light kit that utilizes surface mounted LEDs that output the desiredamount of infrared (IR) light to provide improved vision for operatorswhen using Night Vision Goggles (NVGs). The dual-illumination unitfurther utilizes white LEDs to replace the original headlight bulbs whenstandard white lighting is required during driving scenarios. Thus, thedual-illumination unit of the subject application enables the unit to beinstalled in the original light location, without the need toreconfigure or switch out the unit for normal (non-NVG-based) driving,while maintaining an unmodified original equipment manufacturer (OEM)appearance.

According to one aspect, there is provided a dual-illumination unit toprovide covert IR light capability on vehicles which were not originallyequipped with such capability.

In another embodiment, the dual-illumination unit providesconcealed/covert IR lighting to any motor vehicle. According to such anembodiment, the dual-illumination unit combines white and IR lighting ona single component, requiring a single component replacement in an OEMvehicle. A removable adapter ring is attached to the unit to accommodatedifferent bulb sizes between vehicles. Power can be sourced to the unitfrom the vehicle fusebox (e.g., using standard wiring harness, or thelike), along with ground from the OEM ground point. Accordingly, theunit utilizes the original light fuse, allowing the original headlight(or foglight) switch to be used to control the output of the unit.Furthermore, as the unit utilizes a metal base, such as aluminum or thelike, to house the integrated control and power electronic components,the unit provides passive cooling.

Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a three-dimensional view ofa dual-illumination unit 100 in accordance with one exemplary embodimentof the subject application. During discussion of FIGS. 1-2, referencewill also be made to FIGS. 3A-3E, which illustrate varying views of thedual-illumination unit 100 depicted in FIGS. 1-2. It will be appreciatedthat the unit 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1-3E is representative of aparticular implementation of the dual-illumination system of the subjectapplication, and other implementations are contemplated herein.

Accordingly, as depicted in FIGS. 1-3E, the dual-illumination unit 100includes an illuminating component 110, an adapter ring 112, and a basecomponent or housing 114. The illuminating component 110 shown in FIGS.1 and 2 illustrates a first side of the unit 100, including a first LED102 for visible illumination and two LEDs 104-106 for infraredillumination (hereinafter IR LEDs 104-106) coupled to the circuit board108. It will be understood that the use of LEDs is intended to exemplifythe subject application, and the skilled artisan will appreciate thatthe use of other illumination sources, e.g., OLEDs, PLEDs, Laser SMDs,non smd-LEDs, or the like, are also capable of being utilized in thedual-illumination unit 100. Accordingly, the reference to LEDs isintended as a non-limiting example of such illumination sources. Thecircuit board 108 is affixed to an LED tower 118, extending from thehousing 114, which is preferably configured to support the circuit board108, as well as to function as a heatsink to the components of thecircuit board 108 and the electronic components 116 (discussed below).It will be appreciated that the opposite side of the unit 100 (notshown) may mirror the side shown in the three-dimensional views of FIGS.1 and 2, i.e., a second circuit board having another visible LED anddual IR LEDs. FIG. 3B, however, provides a front view of thedual-illumination unit 100, wherein each side of the unit is visible,e.g., circuit boards 108 affixed to the LED tower 118 are readilydiscernible, along with the various LEDs 102-106. Although not depictedin FIGS. 1-3E, the circuit board 108 (and corresponding LEDS 102-106)may be encapsulated in glass or clear plastic to protect the componentstherein, as would be accomplished with traditional halogen or Xenonbulbs.

According to one embodiment, the printed circuit board 108 may includeone high-powered white LED 102 and two (or more) 940 nm IR LEDs 104-106.In accordance with one particular embodiment, the white LED 102 utilizedis selected to most closely match OEM light sources in color temperatureand brightness, e.g., 55 watt halogen bulbs, commonly installed invehicles. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that thereference herein to white LEDs and IR LEDs is intended to exemplify theuse of visible illumination sources combined with non-visibleillumination sources, and that the subject embodiments are capable ofimplementation utilizing other wavelengths of visible light and otherwavelengths of non-visible light other than the white and infraredwavelengths contemplated herein. The skilled artisan will alsoappreciate that other IR LEDs may be used, including, for example andwithout limitation, LEDs illuminating in the near infrared range, e.g.,range of 700 nm to 1600 nm wavelengths, or the like. It will further beappreciated that the non-visible light sources selected may correspondto the type of night-vision viewer available, e.g., older devices mayrequire 850 nm, and potentially newer devices may require 1550 nm.Furthermore, it will be understood that the non-visible light source maybe selected for any wavelength in the infrared spectrum (700 nm to 1mm), e.g., near-infrared (700 nm-1600 nm), short-wavelength infrared(1400 nm-3000 nm), mid-wavelength infrared (3000 nm-8000 nm),long-wavelength infrared (8000 nm-15000 nm), and far infrared (15000nm-1 mm). Non limiting examples of non-visible IR sources, such asOLEDs, PLEDs, Laser SMDs, non smd-LEDs, and the like, may be implementedherein to produce the desired illumination wavelength.

In addition to the foregoing, it should be understood that the number ofLEDs 102-106 illustrated and discussed herein are for purposes ofexample only. It will be understood that the dual-illumination unit 100may utilize any suitable number of white LEDs 102, and any suitablenumber of IR LEDs 104-106, as required for producing the necessaryvisible and IR illumination. Accordingly, the dual-illumination unit 100is not intended to be limited to a single white LED 102 and two IR LEDs104-106.

Furthermore, it will be understood that the embodiments disclosed hereinincorporate the white LEDs 102 to replace the original OEM bulbs whenstandard lighting is required during driving scenarios, while allowingcovert IR capability without substantial modification to the vehicle, ordisclosing the capability to an observer. Accordingly, the unit 100effectively conceals the IR output by reducing the direct sight path ofthe visible red glow (inherent in some IR LEDs) and using the design ofthe headlight assembly to “throw” the IR light output at a focused andincreased distance beyond an exposed IR LED. FIGS. 7-7B, discussed ingreater detail below, illustrate this output in an exampleimplementation.

The dual-illumination unit 100 of FIGS. 1-3E further includes theaforementioned adapter ring 112, removably coupled to thedual-illumination unit 100. In varying embodiments contemplated herein,the adapter ring 112 is configured to secure the dual-illumination unit100 to an associated vehicle. It will be understood that the adapterring 112 is contemplated to be removably attached to the unit 100. Forexample and without limitation, various adapter rings 112 for differentvehicles may be utilized to enable the unit 100 to be secured to suchvehicles.

It will be understood that while depicted as a replacement for astandard H4 bulb in the FIGURES attached hereto, the adapter ring 112may be configured to replicate any suitable OEM automotive lightbulbconnection component that is used in automotive lighting to secure thebulb to the vehicle. Thus, it will be appreciated that the use of an H4adapter ring, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3E is intended to explain, andnot limit, the use of the dual-illumination unit 100. Furthermore, invarying embodiments contemplated herein, multiple different adapters maybe included with the unit 100 when deployed in the field, enabling thesoldier or other operator to utilize the unit 100 in myriad vehiclesencountered during operations. Accordingly, the ring 112 may be ofdifferent sizes and shapes so as to mimic other types of OEM automotivebulbs found in vehicles throughout the world. That is, the adapter ring112 is implemented to match the keys and openings in variousheadlight/foglight bulb locations.

As indicated above, the dual-illumination unit 100 further includes ahousing 114, to which the adapter ring 112 and printed circuit board(s)108 with LEDs 102-106 are attached. Preferably, the adapter ring 112 isthreaded, clipped, or otherwise secured to the housing 114, allowing theoperator to remove and replace the ring 112 as needed. For example, theadapter ring 112 may be twisted clockwise to secure the ring 112 to thehousing 114, and twisted counter-clockwise to remove the ring 112 fromthe housing 114. FIG. 3A, in particular, provides an exemplary top viewof the unit 100, wherein the adapter ring 112 is removably attached tothe housing 114. The housing 114 may be comprised of a suitable materialthat is durable and rugged in nature to prevent damage whiletransporting to an associated, or installed within a vehicle, as well asto support the various electronics of the board 108 and LEDs 102-106.Suitable materials include, for example and without limitation, metals,metal alloys, ceramics, plastics, or various combinations thereof.

In accordance with one embodiment, the material of the housing 114 isconfigured to not only support the circuit board 108 and adapter ring112, but also house electronic components 116 allowing the unit 100 tofunction utilizing the standard 12V electrical system of civilianvehicles. It will be appreciated that the electronic components 116, asdiscussed below and illustrated in the housing 114 of FIG. 3C, arepackaged within the housing 114 for concealment and environmentalprotection.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3E, the example implementation of the housing 114 ismetallic in composition, e.g., aluminum, providing additional benefitsto the unit 100 during operations. FIGS. 8 and 9, discussed below,provide photographic illustrations of one example embodiment of thedual-illumination unit 100 utilizing the aforementioned metallic housing114. It will be appreciated that the electronics 116 generate anon-negligible amount of waste heat, converting the power from theassociated vehicle to power to the LEDs 102-106. Accordingly, themetallic nature of the housing 114 functions as a heat sink to radiatesuch heat away from the electronics 116, providing a passive coolingmechanism thereto. As will be understood by those skilled in the art,previous IR light assemblies generated a substantial amount of noisefrom active cooling units, further limiting implementation in standardOEM light assemblies, as enabled by the subject dual-illumination unit100.

In accordance with one embodiment, the electronic components 116 (e.g.,driver circuits, controls, etc.) are suitably configured to controloperations of the LEDs 102-106, modify the voltage and/or amperagedirected to the LEDs 102-106, which require less power than the typicalhalogen or Xenon lights being replaced. FIG. 4 provides a schematiccircuit diagram 400 of the electronic components 116 utilized inaccordance with one exemplary embodiment of the subject application. Asshown in FIG. 4, the electronic components 116 are suitably configuredto regulate the voltage/amperage provided to the LEDs 102-106, switchbetween LEDs 102 and 104-106, and the like.

With respect to FIG. 4, the electronic components 116 connect bothprinted circuit boards 108 of the unit 100, i.e., two white LEDs 102,and four IR LEDs 104-106, shown on the left of the diagram 400.Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the operations of the white LEDs102 is controlled via activation of the low beams of the headlights(shown at 402) and the IR LEDs 104-106 are operable upon activation ofthe high beams of the headlights (shown at 404). It will therefore beappreciated that the existing passenger compartment controls (e.g.,headlight/taillight switch) may be utilized to switch between visibleand IR illumination, i.e., a low-beam mode (visible light) and ahigh-beam mode (IR illumination). The skilled artisan will appreciatethat the use of the headlight switch is representative of one possiblecontrol switch for the dual-illumination unit 100, and other vehiclecontrol switches are capable of being used, e.g. interior light switch,heater/AC controls, fog lights, or the like. Furthermore, those of skillin the art will understand that a separate control switch/unit (notshown), may be affixed into the vehicle cabin to control thedual-illumination unit 100, e.g., a wired or wireless switch (withsuitable communications components at the dual-illumination unit 100 andswitch), may be externally switched, a combination thereof, or the like.Accordingly, the electronic components 116 depicted in FIG. 4 areoperative to receive an input signal, i.e., power at 402 or 404, toactuate the corresponding LEDs, i.e., 102 or 104-106. FIG. 5 provides anexample diagram of the electronic components 116 located within thehousing 114. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the various components of theschematic 400 are implemented on a printed circuit board 500. It will beappreciated that the various electrical components shown in FIG. 5 arerepresented by corresponding labels in FIG. 4.

In varying embodiments contemplated herein, the electronic components116 may be configured to connect (not shown) to standard automotive OEMwiring harnesses, allowing for quick installation thereof, in additionto allowing the operator to switch between the white LEDs 102 and the IRLEDs 104-106 via the normal light controls of an associated vehicle. Forexample, the wiring harness may be configured in conjunction with theelectronics 116 to operate the white LEDs 102 when the lights of thevehicle are activated while disabling the white LEDs 102 and enablingthe IR LEDs 104-106 when the operator selects the hi-beam mode or“bright” lights. It will be appreciated that the inclusion of theelectronics 116 within the housing 114 negates the need to modify thevehicle electronics, as well as allowing the operator to utilize aself-contained unit 100, as opposed to multiple components requiringassembly in the field.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown a close-up photographic view ofthe dual-illumination unit 100 of the subject application. Inparticular, FIG. 7 depicts one side of the dual-illumination unit 100,including the first LED 102 for visible illumination and the twoinfrared LEDs 104-106 for infrared illumination coupled to the circuitboard 108. It will be understood that the opposite side of the unit 100mirrors the side shown in FIG. 7. Furthermore, in the embodiment shownin FIG. 6, the printed circuit board 108 includes one high-powered whiteLED 102 and two 940 nm IR LEDs 104-106.

As shown in FIG. 6, the dual-illumination unit 100 is implemented toresemble a standard H4 automotive replacement bulb. This implementationfacilitates the subterfuge intended in use of IR illumination, withoutthe need to reconfigure or switch out the light.

As shown in FIG. 7A, a non-military vehicle 200 is photographedrepresentative of an OEM platform in which the unit 100 may beinstalled. The vehicle 200 includes a standard headlight assembly 202and exposed assembly 204, circled in the photograph of FIG. 7A. FIG. 7Bprovides a photographic illustration of the standard headlight assembly202 (with unit 100 installed and IR LEDs 104-106 illuminated) and theexposed assembly 204 (with the IR LEDs illuminated) when activated, withthe resultant output illustrated in the image depicted therein belowrespectively at 206 and 208. It will be appreciated that while the sameIR LEDs are used in both 202 and 204, the apparent illumination 206 and208 is readily distinguishable as a result of the installation of theunit 100 in the assembly 202 (further illustrated in FIG. 11 discussedbelow), as opposed to the exposed installation of the unit 100 at 204.

Turning now to FIGS. 8 and 9, there are shown further photographs of thedual-illumination unit 100 in accordance with one embodiment of thesubject application. As shown in FIGS. 8-9, the dual-illumination unit100 includes the removable adapter ring 112 configured to secure theunit 100 in an OEM light assembly 202 (shown in greater detail in FIG.11).

The dual-illumination unit 100 illustrated in FIGS. 8-9 further depictsthe housing 114, to which the adapter ring 112 and printed circuitboard(s) 108 with LEDs 102-106 are attached. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9,the example implementation of the housing 114 is an aluminum housing,providing support for the illumination component 110, the adapter ring112, and heatsink capabilities for the electronic components 116 housedtherein. FIG. 10 is a photograph illustrating the empty socket 1100 intowhich the dual-illumination unit 100 is to be inserted on an associatedheadlight assembly of a vehicle. The assembly includes the adapter ring112 retained by flange 1102 configured to receive the adapter ring 112,thereby securing the unit 100 within the assembly. It will beappreciated that the photograph of FIG. 10 is representative of onepossible headlight assembly into which the unit 100 may be inserted.Other assemblies, e.g., positions on the vehicle, as well as types ofvehicles, may utilize different retention mechanisms than the flange1102 shown in FIG. 10, e.g., the adapter ring 112 may be rotated(screwed/twisted) into locking tabs of the assembly (not shown). FIG.11, thereafter, shows the inserted dual-illumination unit 100, retainedby the adapter ring 112 interacting with the flange 1102.

FIG. 12 provides a close-up photograph of the OEM headlight assembly 202in which the dual-illumination unit 100 is emplaced. As shown in FIG.12, the dual-illumination unit 100 closely resembles the standard OEMlightbulb that would otherwise be used by the associated vehicle 200. Itwill be appreciated that the visible and IR light provided by thedual-illumination unit 100 are reflected in the same manner as theaforementioned standard lightbulb by the OEM assembly 202.

It is to be appreciated that in connection with the particularillustrative embodiments presented herein certain structural and/orfunction features are described as being incorporated in definedelements and/or components. However, it is contemplated that thesefeatures may, to the same or similar benefit, also likewise beincorporated in other elements and/or components where appropriate. Itis also to be appreciated that different aspects of the exemplaryembodiments may be selectively employed as appropriate to achieve otheralternate embodiments suited for desired applications, the otheralternate embodiments thereby realizing the respective advantages of theaspects incorporated therein.

It is also to be appreciated that particular elements or componentsdescribed herein may have their functionality suitably implemented viahardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. Additionally, itis to be appreciated that certain elements described herein asincorporated together may under suitable circumstances be stand-aloneelements or otherwise divided. Similarly, a plurality of particularfunctions described as being carried out by one particular element maybe carried out by a plurality of distinct elements acting independentlyto carry out individual functions, or certain individual functions maybe split-up and carried out by a plurality of distinct elements actingin concert. Alternately, some elements or components otherwise describedand/or shown herein as distinct from one another may be physically orfunctionally combined where appropriate.

In short, the present specification has been set forth with reference topreferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations willoccur to others upon reading and understanding the presentspecification. It is intended that the invention be construed asincluding all such modifications and alterations insofar as they comewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof. Thatis to say, it will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosedand other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may bedesirably combined into many other different systems or applications,and also that various presently unforeseen or unanticipatedalternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may besubsequently made by those skilled in the art which are similarlyintended to be encompassed by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dual-illumination unit, comprising: anillumination component including at least one visible light LED and atleast one non-visible LED; and a housing to which the illuminationcomponent is affixed, the housing storing at least one electroniccomponent operable to control operations of the at least one visiblelight LED and the at least one non-visible LED.
 2. The dual-illuminationunit of claim 1, wherein the illumination component includes at leastone circuit board.
 3. The dual-illumination unit of claim 2, wherein theat least one visible light LED and the at least one non-visible LED areaffixed to the at least one circuit board.
 4. The dual-illumination unitof claim 2, wherein the at least one circuit board is coupled to an LEDtower, the LED tower extending upward from the housing.
 5. Thedual-illumination unit of claim 1, further comprising an adapter ringremovably coupled to the housing and configured to secure the dualillumination unit to at least one of an original equipment manufacturer(OEM) assembly or replacement assembly of an associated vehicle.
 6. Thedual-illumination unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one visiblelight LED is a white LED.
 7. The dual-illumination unit of claim 1,wherein the at least one non-visible light LED outputs infrared (IR)light in at least one of the range of 850 nm through 1550 nm.
 8. Thedual-illumination unit of claim 1, wherein the electronic components areoperable to receive control signals from an associated vehicle, thecontrol signal corresponding to a low-beam and a high-beam signals. 9.The dual-illumination unit of claim 8, wherein the electronic componentsactuate the at least one visible light LED responsive to a low-beamsignal or a high-beam signal, and wherein the electronic componentsactuate the at least one non-visible LED responsive to the low-beamsignal or the high-beam signal opposite an actuation signal of the atleast one visible light LED.
 10. The dual-illumination unit of claim 1,wherein the housing is configured as a heatsink for the electroniccomponents.
 11. A dual-illumination unit, comprising: a housing, thehousing storing at least one electronic component operable to controloperations of the dual-illumination unit; and an LED tower extendingoutward from the housing, the LED tower having at least one circuitboard affixed thereto, wherein the at least one circuit board includesat least one visible light LED and at least one infrared LED.
 12. Thedual-illumination unit of claim 11, further comprising: an adapter ringremovably attached to the housing, wherein the adapter ring isconfigured to secure the dual-illumination unit to an automotive lightassembly.
 13. The dual-illumination unit of claim 12, wherein the atleast one visible light LED is a white LED, and wherein the at least oneIR light LED outputs IR light in at least one of the range of 850 nm to1550 nm.
 14. The dual-illumination unit of claim 11, wherein the atleast one electronic component is communicatively coupled to a controlof an associated vehicle, the control operable to actuate thedual-illumination unit.
 15. The dual-illumination unit of claim 14,wherein the control of the associated vehicle corresponds to a headlightmode of operation including a low-beam mode and a high-beam mode. 16.The dual-illumination unit of claim 15, wherein the at least oneelectronic component actuates the at least one visible light LEDresponsive to at least one of a low-beam mode or a high-beam mode, andwherein the least one electronic component actuates the at least one IRLED responsive to at least one of the low-beam mode or the high-beammode opposite an actuation mode of the at least one visible light LED.17. A dual-illumination unit, comprising: at least one circuit boardincluding at least one visible light LED and at least one infrared (IR)LED; an LED tower to which the at least one circuit board is affixed; ahousing coupled to the LED tower, the housing storing at least oneelectronic component operable to control operations of the at least onevisible light LED and the at least one IR LED; and an adapter ring,removably coupled to the housing and configured to secure the unit to anoriginal equipment manufacturer (OEM) headlight assembly of anassociated vehicle.
 18. The dual-illumination unit of claim 17, whereinthe electronic components are operable to receive control signals froman associated vehicle, the control signal corresponding to a low-beamand a high-beam signals.
 19. The dual-illumination unit of claim 18,wherein the electronic components actuate the at least one visible lightLED responsive to at least one of a low-beam signal or a high-beamsignal, and wherein the electronic components actuate the at least oneIR LED responsive to the low-beam signal or the high-beam signalopposite an actuation signal of the at least one visible light LED.